Rose claims glory in Hong Kong

Justin Rose emerged victorious at the Hong Kong Open after he finished one shot clear of nearest rival Lucas Bjerregaard on Sunday.

The two players began the day locked together on 15-under par for the tournament and they continued to go toe to toe for the majority of the final round in the Far East.

The pivotal moment came when Bjerregaard double bogeyed the 14th and he was unable to respond following that setback which meant Rose sealed his eighth victory on the European Tour.

The Englishman finished the tournament on 17-under and afterwards admitted that the triumph was made even sweeter as he had narrowly missed out on glory at last week’s Frys.com Open.

He said: “I’m very happy to get the job done. I had a chance to win in Napa last week, I was tied for the lead going down the 10th hole and let that one flitter away a little bit. I wanted to hang on to this one.”

The 2013 US Open champion also reserved some praise for his playing partner Bjerregaard, who he was impressed with throughout the tournament at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

He added: “Lucas played incredible golf. It was the first time I had the chance to play with him. I was thoroughly impressed, not just his game but his temperament and how he is as a person.”

The victory has moved the world number seven up to fourth in the Race to Dubai standings and he confirmed that he is keen to finish top of the pile once again at next month’s season ending DP World Tour Championship.

Rose continued: “Dubai, especially, is a tournament I’ve played well at in the past. I’ve had a couple second-place finishes there. I’d love to break that duck as well.”

Tagged Hong Kong Open, Justin Rose